Student's Jacket

I thought I would get to work on my daughter’s jacket, but I was sidelined by a homecoming dress. However, my student is moving along. We have corrected her muslin and she’s cut her jacket. Today she started quilting the pieces. She’s confident enough to continue the quilting at home. Next week’s lesson will be sewing the jacket. Here are the fabrics and trim Kira chose and here’s Kira tying off the sewing threads between the layers. This is so exciting.

Fitting the Muslin

I made the muslin for my daughter’s jacket and did a fitting. I have a student who is learning to sew. She observed the fitting, making it part of the lecture. You can see from the picture the alterations I am making.

I am very proud of my student because she has no fear, she just dives in. We are using the trial and error method. She will make a garment in muslin in order to practice sewing techniques, interpreting the sewing instructions on the pattern guide sheet on her own. I then critique the pieces, demonstrating what she needs to do to make it better. She decided she will make a Chanel-style jacket for her first project and will be sewing along with me. As I said, she has no fear, and that’s a good thing. Here's her muslin. I will have her help me with my fitting next.

GIDDY!

I am so happy. I was so giddy arranging the fabrics and trims in order to take this picture. It’s that feeling you get when you think you have found a great combination of fabrics, trims and color. Please don’t burst my bubble if I am wrong.

I had to go to New York mid-week to take care of some business. After accomplishing my business objective, I moved on to shopping. After a couple of fabric stores and several trim stores, I managed to make my way to M&J Trimming and left with the trims and the buttons for my jacket.

Manuel, my salesperson, was a great help. He was patience and attentive, which is what I needed. I gave him the website address for this blog. Manuel, if you are reading this, a great big thank you again.

We combined two trims in order to get the look I like. We found buttons that combine the gold and silver tones in the fabric. I chose a blackened metal chain for the hem. The only thing I haven’t purchased is the green thread to match the lining.

Now on to the muslins for my daughter and me.

Two Generations Shopping for Fabric

Although I thought about shopping in New York for my fabric, I realized it wouldn’t happen soon enough. We were in New York two weeks ago for a family BBQ in Queens, which meant there was no time for a side trip to Manhattan. I head for my favorite independent fabric store, Sarah’s Fabrics in Takoma Park. My daughter and I managed to get to the fabric store 30 minutes before closing. Can you select fabric for a dress and two Chanel-type jackets in 30 minutes? YES! She even picked out a piece for a skirt. We know what we like. We walk up and down the aisles and when we see it. BAM!


I saw the fabric for my dress, or what became the skirt of my dress once I put the pale taupe charmeuse and the black charmeuse next to it. Quick conference with my daughter and the pale taupe charmeuse became my bodice, the black charmeuse became the midriff, and the “dotted” chiffon became the skirt. While those fabrics were being cut, we searched for the fabrics for our jackets. My daughter doesn’t like the boucles; the texture is too much for her. What else can I use, she asks. Wool plaids are good. There on the bottom shelf, a purple and black houndstooth plaid. Purple is one of her favorite colors. She can’t be persuaded to consider anything else. She’s done. I spot my fabric as we head for the cutting table. It’s too much for my daughter; her eyes roll toward the ceiling.


Behind the cutting table are the silk charmeuse fabrics. Do you want a purple lining for your jacket, I asked my daughter. NO! That is just too much for her. Black silk charmeuse for her. For me, only the bright yellow-green silk crepe de chine will do.
Behind the front counter are trims. I tell Sarah’s husband I need a trim suitable for a Chanel jacket. He has not an idea what I want, but Sarah does and points him to the section of trims. I select the purple trim for my daughter. NO! She wants the subdued black trim. I sandwich the purple between the black trim. NO! One row of black trim. I chuckle. There’s a yellow-green trim that I am not sure about, but it looks okay because it picks up one of the colors in the fabric. I think about putting black ribbon trim under it and I buy it just in case I don’t find something I like better.


There are buttons galore. I decide to save the button decisions for another day. Generational shopping is fun, but draining. Thirty minutes is enough. We end the shopping trip with two tall frappuccinos and chocolate covered grahams.

Chanel for the Generations

Hello:

I’m Doris of Mpressive Threadz Studio and I am excited about the sew along. I have been thinking and strategizing about this jacket every since I signed up a week ago. I immediately started sketching my jacket, trying various pocket options. I searched online fabric stores and trim shops. I went to the library and got copies of the articles “Inside a Chanel Jacket” and “Shortcuts to a Designer Jacket” that appeared in Threads magazine. While I enjoy hand stitching, I agonized over whether I wanted to thread trace all the seamlines of an entire jacket.

Yesterday I thought about generations and how a Chanel jacket might translate over the various generations in my family. Suddenly I thought about my mother and her Aunt Dot. Aunt Dot had a black Chanel inspired skirt suit with white braided trim and pearls that my mother fell in love with. My mother took a horrible picture of Aunt Dot at a family gathering and got the bright idea of “blackmailing” the suit from Aunt Dot. She threatened to show the picture to everyone if Aunt Dot didn’t give her that black suit. Aunt Dot gave up the suit. My mother died a few years ago and that suit was in her closet. I chuckled when I came upon it. I know Aunt Dot loved my mother dearly and that picture had nothing to do with her giving my mother that suit.

I asked my daughter did she know about classic Chanel jackets. She Googled it right away. I pointed out the highlights of a Chanel jacket and asked her if she would wear the jacket if I made her one. “Sure,” she said. So I plan to make two jackets, one for each generation. I will use the classic Chanel techniques for my jacket and the shortcuts for my daughter’s jacket. I think it would be fun for the both of us to go to New York and shop for fabrics and trims. I am very interested in what she will select.